MEDIA MOVES: Buzzfeed News, Kelsey Weekman

Previous Role: Senior Writer at Yahoo, “In The Know”

New Role: Social News Reporter at Buzzfeed News

KW: I can’t wait to dig into internet communities and trends on a deeper level. I love being critical of the things we love, but I like advocating for the things that make us cringe as well. I’ve long been a “Gen Z expert,” but I’ve since found myself endeared to how other generations interact with the internet. I don’t just want to cover what’s popular. I want to shed light on what’s cool and weird and interesting about the vast online world.

KW: Instead of saying “this is trending,” I’m now saying “this is trending — here’s why it matters,” or “Look at this cool thing you haven’t heard about yet, I spoke to its creator about what it means to them.” At my last job, I was doing a million things: Editing, assigning, optimizing, social media management, SEO, analytics. Now I’m just writing and reporting. Being able to focus on what I really love instead of trying to do it all is what I needed to do to beat burnout.

KW: The support of more established journalists in my beat has meant the world. Having them share my stories and DM support made me think I could really do this. I work really, really relentlessly hard, and my love of the internet that keeps me online all day certainly helps, but the way other people have elevated me that helped me take the next step. (And of course, lots of offline support from my husband, family and friends whenever I got discouraged, which was … often!)

Qwoted is committed to supporting the media by speaking to and highlighting journalists in their exploration of various roles. What changes are ahead? What learnings do you expect to be helpful in this new role?